Surrender by Sonya Hartnett

Gabriel has only two friends, his dog, Surrender, and Finnigan, a boy with a volatile nature that is the only one who really seems to understand him. Gabriel’s parents are, by turns, cold, distant, and emotionally abusive to him. But then Gabriel reaches out to Evangeline and learns the extent of Finnigan’s violent nature. With that realization, Gabriel knows that he must sever his relationship with Finnigan and stop his evil plots and deeds once and for all.